Posh chairman tells Hatters fans that new signing will be the next Craig Mackail-Smith

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has told Luton fans that new signing Joe Taylor could be the next Craig Mackail-Smith after he moved to Kenilworth Road on transfer deadline day last night.

The 20-year-old is fairly inexperienced in senior football, with only had a handful of Championship appearances when Posh were relegated last term and has made just eight substitute outings in League One this term too.

However MacAnthony was glowing in his praise for the Hatters’ latest addition, tipping him to be in the same mould as former Peterborough and Hatters striker Mackail-Smith.

The forward, who only recently hung up his boots, broke through at Dagenham & Redbridge under ex-Luton boss John Still.

Signed by Peterborough for the first time in 2007, he scored over 100 goals in three spells at London Road, with a £2.5m move to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2011, on target 24 times for the Seagulls.

Mackail-Smith joined Luton in the summer of 2015, going on to find the net five times in 40 appearances, before winding his career down at Wycombe, Notts County, Stevenage and most recently Bedford Town.

After agreeing to sell Taylor to the Hatters, MacAnthony wrote on Twitter: “All the best to Joe. Go prove all the mangers wrong & kill it at Luton young man.

"£5 grand well spent 12 months ago.

"The new CMS Luton fans.”

It appears there were other clubs in for the Wales youth international as well, who once scored 21 goals in 13 games for Eastern Counties League Premier Division side Wroxham, as a statement on the Posh official website said: “Taylor, who featured for Wales at under 21 level, has been attracting the attention of a number of clubs, but the Hatters were the ones to agree a deal with Posh and he has made the move to Kenilworth Road.

“We would like to wish Joe all the best at the Hatters for the future.”